Delta says union rejection upheld

by Karen Jacobs

 CHICAGO - Delta Air Lines Inc said Monday that U.S. labor mediators rejected claims of interference that were filed by the machinists union after workers at the airline's TechOps plane maintenance department voted against unionizing.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union had sought a new election, saying that Delta management had engaged in surveillance and intimidation making employees fearful of supporting the union, among other things.

The labor board said in dismissing the union's interference claims that its investigation of the matter found that election conditions were not tainted in the vote by about 700 TechOps workers in 2010.

The National Mediation Board decision allows Delta to begin aligning pay, benefits and work rules for employees who manage the flow and supply of parts for the TechOps plane maintenance and repair division.

Elections for groups that include about 50,000 workers took place last year to resolve labor representation after the 2008 acquisition of mostly unionized Northwest Airlines by Atlanta-based Delta, the least unionized of the major U.S. airlines. Flight attendants, baggage handlers and customer service agents at the carrier also rejected union representation in those votes.

Earlier this month, the National Mediation Board rejected claims of interference by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA in last year's election in which some 20,000 flight attendants voted.

Pilots are the only major unionized work group at Delta.